Mary, Where Are You? Are You Awake or Asleep?

Originally Posted by Erik

Is Mary asleep? I believe the Bible tells us those in "Abraham's bosom" were very much awake.

Put all the facts together. Nobody is resurrected yet. We are resurrected together at the end of this age, both those who are alive and left, and those who are asleep. The scene in Abraham's bosom tells of an interaction between Abraham, the Rich Man and Lazarus. If they are communicating, obviously they are awake in Paradise below. Jesus said to the repentant thief, he will see him this day in Paradise. Obviously, this does not refer to Heaven (Paradise above) because Jesus went down to Hades, possibly even to the bad side of Hades to show He can move through all dimensions at will. He is simultaneously here and there. The Bible said while Jesus was on earth, He was also in Heaven.

The way I have resolved this in my own heart is instead of just saying Abram's Bosom is figurative to foreshadow what Heaven an Hell will be like, I believe God awoke them for a short skit, like God awoke Moses and Elijah for the short skit at the Transfiguration. I should point out in Hades below Lazarus and the Rich Man could see each other, but in eternity future, we will no longer shed a tear for the unsaved. I doubt they will be on display for us to watch as they are suffering in Hell. Now if Lazarus' spirit is suppose to go to Heaven when he died, what is he still doing in the good side of Hades? The ideal people when the die go immediately to Heaven without stopping at Go or Rest in Hades to me seems fanciful. And so you get lots of communication with people who call themselves Christians today who are speaking to their spirit raised loved ones.

This is a fundamental misunderstanding of our tripartite nature. We are spirit, soul and body. We are living souls with a spirit and a body. We are not spirits. Angels are spirits. We should never think our spirit can go some place while we are another place. Our soul's mind, will and emotion, joins where our spirit goes. John in his vision on that great high mountain viewing the New City from was taken up in his spirit, but this refers to a vision, not a splitting apart of his spirit from his soul and body, like many suggest their soul and body are still resting while their intuitive conscience of their spirit is somewhere else after they die. John still had his thinking capacity of his soul with his will and emotion operating. When you die you give up your spirit to God; this does not mean your spirit is split asunder from your soul and body. It is just is an expression to say, you are in God's hands now, and He will resurrect you at the end of days.

Enoch and Elijah are already raptured, but God stopped their awareness of time until they return again as the Two Witnesses. Since they have not died and men are appointed unto once to die, they will die as the Two Witnesses. These are the exceptions to the rule. Nobody is in Heaven the Bible says when it says not even David is in Heaven, a man after God's own heart. Let's accept this. What a strange experience it will be though for Enoch and Elijah who have been asleep (Elijah had a short return at Transfiguration), to return as the Two Witnesses and see the world as it is several thousand years later. Logically, this is the only way to explain it. Mary is asleep. The minute everyone wakes up at the last trumpet (1 Thess. 4.15-17) in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15.50-52), separated from the resurrection of the damned by a 1000 years, it will be as though nothing happened since the day they died. They will have no awareness of time having passed until someone tells them what year it is.